Yes Dee. Hard times indeed. Just last Monday at PRONI, I was reading through the Vestry Minute Book of St Canice's Church in the parish of Upper Moville in County Donegal. A fasinateing volume dating from January 1770 giving the reader a first hand insight into the lives and times of this congregation{of which my own family were members} for over 150 years. I found a copy letter from the clergyman written in the Spring of 1847 to the Authorities in Dublin Castle thanking them for the leaflets they had sent containing the cooking instructions for Indian Corn {Maize.} Another letter showed that a year later that was all they had received, the cooking instructions, no maize. It never did arrive. Seven members of my direct family died in 1847/48. My father's great grandparents and 5 of their children, leaving 2 orphans to be raised by their aged grandparents. best regards Robert www.ulsterancestry.com > From: deebg@bigpond.net.au > To: ulsterancestry@hotmail.com; fermanagh-gold@rootsweb.com; cotyroneireland-l@rootsweb.com > Subject: RE: FERMANAGH-GOLD The Penny Lean > Date: Wed, 17 Jun 2015 21:58:58 +1000 > > Robert, > > What an absolutely tragic story - those poor, poor people. Man's inhumanity > to his fellow man beggars belief sometimes. > To read about the famine years shakes one to the core - it would be > indescribable torture to try to live through them! > Thank you for sharing, > > Dee. > > -----Original Message----- > From: fermanagh-gold-bounces@rootsweb.com > [mailto:fermanagh-gold-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of Ulster Ancestry > via > Sent: Wednesday, 17 June 2015 9:12 PM > To: fermanagh-gold@rootsweb.com; cotyroneireland-l@rootsweb.com > Subject: Re: FERMANAGH-GOLD The Penny Lean > > > > Willie Carlin writing > in the book Workhouses of the North West tells of unearthing this sad story > from the files of a local newspaper > > the Tyrone Constitution. > > > > The title for the report "A sad Christmas" is I think somewhat understated > and in our World of plenty it is hard to imagine or comprehend such hardship > and suffering. > > > > Thomas Gilroy, a native of Manorcunningham County Donegal, left his home > with his young wife and six children in search of employment in the City of > Glasgow. > > > > He arrived there early in August 1847 but by the time November came > there was little work to be had and no food or shelter. His wife was > taken ill with fever,followed by Thomas and three of the children, two > of whom died. > > > > Weak and straving,unable to care for his wife and four remaining > children,Thomas was given the sum of two shillings and sixpence and he > and his family were put on a boat to Derry Quay. When they arrived at the > Londonderry Workhouse they were refused admission because they had no > transfer documentation. They were told to go on to Strabane 14 miles > away. > > > > After sheltering overnight from the cold and miserable weather, the sad > bedragled little group set out > the next day to walk the 14 miles to Strabane. > > The only food to be had was raw turnips which they found growing in fields > along the way. They were barely able to > stand when they got to Strabane Workhouse on the 10th of December. When > they asked to be admitted they were again turned away because they had no > official identification. > > > > Eventually they found shelter at Melmount with an old woman who had > little food to spare herself. Starved and exhausted Thomas Gilroy lay > down on the damp earth alongside his family. Early on the morning of the > 17th of December Thomas and his youngest child, died. > > > > The inquiry that followed found they had died from starvation. The > gate keeper at the workhouse was reprimanded for ignoring the plight of > the Gilroy family,and Mrs Gilroy and her three surviving children were > taken into workhouse care. > > > The old lady whose cabin they had shared at > Melmount was given a subscription for laying out the bodies > > of Thomas and his child,before they were carried to the paupers graveyard > for burial > <snip> > > ================================== > > https://www.google.ie/ > ================================== > http://www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/placenames/ > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > FERMANAGH-GOLD-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message >